Transgender and Gender Non-conforming People in the Workplace: Direct and Invisible Discrimination

Abstract

Transgender and gender non-conforming (TGNC) people represent a population whose professional paths are often undermined by incidents of discrimination and violence that tend to become marginalising in work environments, which then become—or are perceived as—unsafe and unwelcoming (Davis 2009). Although direct and overt inequality is still present, many issues arise from indirect or invisible discrimination that can greatly affect people’s well-being and performance. This chapter advocates the need for a step change in the inclusion of non-binary perspectives and for the embracing of more nuanced understandings of TGNC identities within organisations. The particular needs of this population of professionals are generally still overlooked, silenced or neglected in the workplace, and as such require more visibility. We thus provide a brief overview of TGNC issues in organisations in order to highlight the main visible and invisible sources of discrimination for TGNC individuals in today’s workplace to understand what practices, policies and procedures reinforce a gender binary environment. We also propose alternatives to how organisations and individuals can support the specific needs of TGNC people through the consideration of both relational and practical factors. Bringing together findings from existing research projects recently conducted in Italy and the UK, this chapter contributes to the field of diversity management through (a) the development of an enhanced understanding of how the mainstream binary approach to gender identity affects the inclusion of the TGNC people in the workplace in both visible and invisible ways, and (b) an exploration of measures based on relational and practical factors that organisations can implement in support of the TGNC population.